Between a rock and a hard place

: the effects of urbanisation on the biological and ecological health of platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) populations in Western Sydney

Abstract

A contemporary urban renaissance is refining the global experience, where the conversion from rural to urban settlements has resulted in an unrivalled concentration of economic prosperity, technological innovation, and fundamental service that simultaneously promotes the enrichment of human wellbeing, and yet fuels radical environmental degradation through unsustainable consumption and pollution. Western Sydney is classed as the largest peri-urban region in Australia, and exhibits the typical (albeit complex) social, political, and environmental conflicts, especially in terms of the seemingly incompatible concepts of land and water management. Despite being situated in a pocket of social and economic disadvantage, the region is set to provide residency for 1.1 million people by 2036 within the Western Parkland City alone, the functioning epicentre of the industrial and metropolitan reimagining of Greater Sydney.
Across Western Sydney, the proximity to aquatic freshwater environments undoubtedly provides a fruitful suite of ecosystem services, but through attempts to improve the convenience and consumption of the anthropogenic lifestyle, such water bodies have systematically undergone profound physical and hydrological disturbance. The ‘urban stream syndrome’ phenomenon is indeed evident within the region, where the symptoms of freshwater ill health manifest through physical, chemical, and biological outcomes that are exacerbated by the degree of impervious surface coverage across the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment, which is the lifeblood of Western Sydney. Although such effects are perpetually far-reaching in these lotic ecosystems, the vulnerability is perhaps best characterised by the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), which is certainly the most unique and iconic Australian faunal species, and a semi-aquatic predator that dually relies on both terrestrial and aquatic reaches of the streams across Western Sydney. However, given that the platypus is regarded as a greatly elusive species, owing to a predominantly nocturnal disposition, traction is mounting for the concerns in the sustainability of suitable habitat and water quality, as well as dietary supply in the wake of holistic urbanisation pressure.
The current study will be instrumental in providing a reputable suite of baseline data for platypus-based ecosystems across Western Sydney and has thus provided further justification for the recognition as a threatened species worthy of preventative and mitigative conservation efforts. As a charismatic, and well-loved flagship species, the platypus, with the underpinning support of local communities, will have the power to incite political and industrial reform, and provide a sound foundation for the holistic protection of freshwater ecosystems through the radical bridging of land and water management across Australia, and beyond.

Date of Award	2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Western Sydney University
Supervisor	Michelle Ryan (Supervisor) & Ian Wright (Supervisor)